


Psychics Have to Smile Too!

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Category: Psychonauts (Video Games), Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Psychics/Psionics, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Crossover, Gen, I'll add more characters as I go, Lots of people focus on Habit and Loboto in this crossover but I have Opinions(tm), Parent-Child Relationship, Platonic Relationships, Psychic Abilities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: Kamal Bora has been a dad for a little while. Being a dad to a psychic kid might be a little hard, but being psychic himself helps a fair bit. However, when his kid wants to go to a summer camp that was the location of a relatively recent attack on psychics, he's got to figure out if it's worth it.And after that, figure out what he's going to do when he's face to face with some people he hasn't seen since he was thirteen.Parenting's hard...
Relationships: Dr. Boris Habit & Putunia Mollar, Kamal Bora & Flower Kid, Kamal Bora & Milla Vodello, Kamal Bora & Sasha Nein, Kamal Bora/Dr. Boris Habit
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> The few crossover pieces have focused on Habit and Loboto and that makes a lot of sense! I get the appeal (I might end up writing something else about the two of them as well), but I have some thoughts about Kamal and Flower Kid and where they'd fit in this crossover. So I'm writing that! Because I can!

“Why can’t I go?” Flower Kid asked for the third time that day.

Kamal sighed. “We’ve been over this, Kid,” he said. “I don’t want you going to that summer camp! It’s a trap!”

“How?” Flower Kid asked. They hopped off Kamal’s bed and moved between him and the mirror he was looking himself over in. “How is it a trap? What’s wrong with it?”

“They train super spies there,” Kamal said, “and you’re just barely eleven! I don’t want you to be under government surveillance for a whole summer when you’ve barely broken double digits!”

Flower Kid pouted and sat on Kamal’s bed again. “It’s not fair!” They whined. “I get these cool powers and no one will let me do anything with them!”

“I’ve offered to help you with them hundreds of times, Kid,” Kamal said. He smoothed out his shirt. “Now… how do I look?” Flower Kid just shrugged. “C’mon… don’t get mad at me about this. I’m just looking out for you!”

“Tons of kids go every year!” Flower Kid said. “And… and you saw in the news! That one kid who went became a whole Psychonaut! He was only ten!”

“That’s just another reason!” Kamal said. “The Psychonauts are getting careless if they’re letting a literal child onto their team! And… and you know all the stuff that happened there too! All those kids got their brains stolen! I’m not about to let you go there when that happened!”

“They caught the guy who did it!” Flower Kid objected. “It won’t happen again!”

“I said no,” Kamal said, “and that’s final.”

“You’re the worst dad ever!” Flower Kid yelled, before they ran to their room and slammed the door shut.

Kamal sighed and sat on his bed. He really didn’t feel like going on his date anymore. He could call Boris and cancel, but it’d been a very long time since they’d had a date night. He took a deep breath and went to knock on Flower Kid’s door. “Kid?” He asked quietly. “Can we talk about this a bit more calmly?” 

There was shuffling on the other side of the door, before Flower Kid opened it. “I’m sorry I called you the worst dad ever,” they mumbled. “You’re a really good dad.”

Kamal smiled and ruffled their hair, making them smile back. “Thanks, Kid. You’re a really good kid.” He sighed quietly. “You understand why I don’t want you to go, don’t you?” Flower Kid nodded. “I know you really want to, but I’m just not comfortable leaving you in the care of government super spies. Especially with everything that happened there last year. It’s a wonder they haven’t been shut down…” Flower Kid yanked on his sleeve. “No words?” They nodded. “Well… I’m still listening.”

_“I know why you don’t want me to go,”_ they signed, _“but I just want to be around kids like me. I’m tired of being around kids who think I’m a freak.”_

Kamal sighed again. “Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll think about it.” Flower Kid gasped and rushed forward to hug him. He laughed and ruffled their hair again. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m great. Now… does my outfit have kid approval?” Flower Kid moved back to look him up at down, before giving him a thumbs up. He chuckled and went to reply, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. “Oh!”

Kamal raced down the stairs, with Flower Kid on his heels. He quickly opened the front door, and grinned up at Boris. “H-hey Bor!” 

Boris grinned back, and Kamal’s knees shook. “Hello Kamal! Hello Flower Kid!” Boris said. Flower Kid waved at him, and he waved back. Well, as best as he could around the bouquet he was holding. He held it out to Kamal, and gave him a much smaller, much more nervous smile. “F-for you,” he mumbled.

Kamal took the bouquet carefully and looked it over. “Th-thanks…” he mumbled. Flower Kid made grabby hands, and Kamal chuckled. “Alright, I’ll hand them off to the flower expert. Hopefully you can keep them alive longer than I can.” Flower Kid grinned at him and nodded. They rushed off to fill a vase with water. “Uh… Nat hasn’t shown up yet, so I can’t really leave…”

“Hey dorks.” Both adults jumped and turned to Kamal’s porch steps. Nat was coming up to them, Putunia hot on her heels. In fact, Putunia passed her and launched herself at Kamal. “Geez kid, don’t run him over!”

“Hi Kamal!” Putunia yelled. Kamal laughed and picked her up as best as he could. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course!” Kamal replied. “All the time!”

“Great! Is Flower Power inside?” Putunia asked.

“Yup!” Putunia ran into the house without another word to Kamal. He turned to Nat, and said, “You’re sure you’re able to handle them both?”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “They're a handful, but I’ve got big hands.”

Boris chuckled. “Thank you Bat,” he said. Nat rolled her eyes at the nickname, but she wasn’t able to stop herself from smiling. She headed into the house, punching Kamal’s arm playfully on the way. Boris turned to him with a small smile. “Did you forget that she was going to come over with me?”

“Ah… yeah,” Kamal admitted. “Sorry Bor, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Oh? Is everything alright?” Boris carefully reached out to take Kamal’s hand. “You can tell me.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Kamal replied. He squeezed Boris’s hand. “C’mon, lets go. We don’t wanna be late for our reservations!”

Boris grinned as Kamal led him towards his car. “I’m excited!” He flapped his free hand. “We are going to have so much fun!”

Kamal laughed. “Yeah! It’ll be great!”

Kamal tried his best to be present during the date. He made pretty good conversation over dinner. It didn’t have to be deep, it just had to be fun. And it was! He laughed plenty of times, and so did Boris! When they left though, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. The whole time Boris walked through the park and pointed out flowers, Kamal found he couldn’t focus.

_“I’m tired of being around kids who think I’m a freak.”_

He understood the sentiment, he really did. He’d felt that the whole time he’d been growing up. None of the other kids liked that he could make things float, or that he could set things on fire. They didn’t like his panic attacks, but they hated the shield he built to protect himself even more. And he’d seen it with Flower Kid too. He saw the way they looked away whenever kids their age passed. He saw the way that they flinched away from accidental slips of power. He heard them sobbing late at night when they thought he was asleep. 

But he’d been to a place like that summer camp, and it had only ever hurt him. All the other kids were too focused on becoming Psychonauts to make friends. And just because everyone there was psychic didn’t mean they wouldn’t bully you for other reasons. He’d only had two friends and they had ditched him the moment they could further their training. Maybe it wouldn’t be exactly the same but-

“Lily?” Kamal jumped out of his thoughts and turned to Boris quickly. “Is everything alright?” He asked.

Kamal nodded. “Yeah! I’m sorry, I’m just a little distracted… what were you saying?”

Boris took Kamal’s hand and carefully led him to a picnic table to sit down. “Talk to me, lily,” he said. “You are always a little distracted, yes, but never like this…”

Kamal took a deep breath, and held it for a long moment. He’d never really told Boris that he was psychic. He’d done a handful of psychic things around him before, but he wasn’t sure if Boris had ever noticed. It was tricky to tell someone you were psychic, especially when they’d had such a strict upbringing. Lots of old fashioned people didn’t like psychics. 

“Kamal! Breathe!” 

Kamal let out the breath he’d been holding, only just then realizing he’d been holding it for way too long. Boris was looking at him worriedly. “Lily, what is wrong?”

“I’m psychic,” he blurted out. Boris just nodded. “So… that’s okay?”

“Kamal, I already know,” Boris said. He squeezed Kamal’s hand. “You used to use telekinesis on tall shelves in the office. Besides, Flower Kid has told me all about the two of you and your occasional ‘fire fights’,” Boris made quotation marks with his fingers, which made Kamal chuckle. “What did they call it?”

“Psi blasters,” Kamal said, “but it’s not the actual version. Just a version for fun. I taught them how to do it.” He couldn’t help sounding proud as he spoke.

“It sounds fun!” Boris said. “But, the point is, I know that you are psychic. It has never bothered me.” He gently ran his thumb along Kamal’s hand. “Is that what you were so anxious about?”

“Kinda?” Kamal said. “I mean, that’s not why I was distracted, but I was also scared to tell you that.”

Boris hummed and nodded. “Well… it is alright. You have nothing to worry about.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Kamal’s head. The two of them blushed hard, but neither of them said anything about it. “But, um… what was distracting you?”

“Flower Kid is psychic too, you know that,” Kamal said, “and they want to go to this summer camp for psychic kids, but I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Whispering Rock?” Boris asked.

“Yeah! How did you know?”

“Putunia collects Psychonaut comics,” Bories explained. “The more recent volumes about that one little boy took place in the camp.”

“Have you been reading them?” Kamal asked, trying to hold back laughter.

Boris chuckled. “Perhaps!” He said. “She came to me to show me the villain. She said he was a lot like the Green Menace.” Boris was quiet for a moment. “He really was…”

“Well… nonpsychic kids don’t know this, but all those comics either are, or are based on, true stories.” Boris’s head jerked up and Kamal squeezed his hand. “I saw it all in the news. The kid is fine, all the kids that went are fine. The guy… Loboto, I think, he’s been captured and is… well, they didn’t say specifically what happened to him, but he’s somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone anymore. The camp is as safe as ever but…” Kamal sighed. “I’m scared of what will happen to them. Those places are made to create Psychonauts. I don’t want Flower Kid to grow up to be like that. They’d be in so much danger all the time…”

“I think…” Boris said, “I think it isn’t really your place to decide.” Kamal looked at him inquisitively. “I mean, you get the ultimate say about whether or not Flower Kid gets to go to the camp, but if they decide to become a Psychonaut, and they get to, then you don’t get to decide that.” 

Kamal sighed. “Yeah… I know.” He chuckled. “When did you become Mr. Responsible?”

“With a daughter like Putunia, I’ve had to learn.” They both chuckled. “But… really Kamal, you can’t decide what Flower Kid will do. They’re their own person. And… I think it might be best to let them go. I’m sure it will be nice to be around kids who are like them. Maybe they’ll become a Psychonaut, maybe they won’t. It isn’t really your place to decide.”

Kamal took a deep breath. “Yeah… you’re right.” He leaned against Boris and squeezed his hand. “Thank you Bor. I’ll talk to them when I get home.”

“It’s no problem, lily,” Boris replied. “I just want you and Flower Kid to be happy.”

“We are. You help.” The two of them grinned at each other and stayed in the park, leaning on each other with their fingers intertwined.

* * *

“Thank you again Nat,” Kamal said. “It’s five dollars an hour, right?”

“I bumped it up to seven,” Nat said.

Kamal whistled. “A business woman, huh?”

“I provide a quality service,” Nat said with a smirk, “so I better be paid what I’m owed.”

“Seven dollars an hour for three hours… twenty-one bucks?” Flower Kid piped up from their spot on the couch.

“Exactly,” Nat said. “Pay up, Bora.”

Kamal chuckled as he pulled out his wallet, and handed over the cash. It was technically twenty-five dollars since he didn’t have any ones, but Nat wasn’t about to correct him, and it was only four dollars. He’d be fine. He waved to Nat as she left, and she shot him a couple finger guns. Boris and Putunia had already left, so it was just him and Flower Kid again.

“How was your date?” Flower Kid asked as he sat on the couch next to them. 

“Pretty good!” He said. “Dinner was nice and we spent some time in the park after. He showed me a bunch of cool flowers.”

“Any new flower facts for me to learn?” Flower Kid asked.

Kamal chuckled. “Uh… I wasn’t actually paying a lot of attention. I was thinking about what we talked about before I left.” Flower Kid perked up and scooted closer to him. “I think… I think it’s okay if you go. I just… I want to meet the counselors when I drop you off and I want you to remember that it probably won’t be perfect and that you should be careful, and-” Kamal was cut off by Flower Kid hugging him tightly around the middle. “Yeah… yeah, I love you too.”

“You’re the best dad in the whole wide world!” They shouted.

Kamal chuckled and ruffled their hair. “And you’re the best kid ever,” he said.

“Please let this go well,” he thought.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a lot of fun with this crossover, and I'm getting more into detail too! Still a little unclear and cliffhangery, but hopefully in a way that gathers interest instead of in a frustrating way! Let me know if you think so in the comments!

“Dad! You missed the exit!”

Kamal jumped slightly and swore under his breath, making Flower Kid giggle. “Don’t repeat that to anyone. Especially people at camp,” he said. They nodded, and made a small noise when the GPS spoke up again. “I know you hate it, Kid, but I really don't like using maps. Even if you’re really good with them.”

“It’s okay!” Flower Kid said. “You don’t usually use it, and this is really out of the way…” They grinned. “Besides! I’m too excited to let something like a little dashboard bitch get me down!”

“Language!” Kamal yelped. He sighed. “I guess you learned it from me though…”

“Are you sure you don’t like maps?” The two of them chuckled. They were quiet for a moment, before Flower Kid spoke up again. “You said you were going to meet the counselors, right?” Kamal hummed and nodded. “Don’t say anything embarrassing about me, okay?”

“I won’t!” Kamal said. “I’m just going to make sure they understand you can’t talk sometimes, and that you’d rather be called Flower Kid. And… y’know, ask a few questions about last year.” Flower Kid nodded. “Maybe I’ll tell them about Tiddlywinx. Just maybe.”

“Noooooo!” Flower Kid whined. “You can’t!”

“I won’t! I was kidding!” Kamal said. Flower Kid stuck their tongue out at him, and he returned the gesture. “Did you pack him?”

“Of course! I can’t sleep without him, you know that,” Flower Kid said.

Tiddlywinx was a stuffed Mothman they’d gotten when the two of them went to the festival in Point Pleasant. He was one of their most prized possessions. 

“Just making sure!” Kamal said. 

The two of them made light conversation for a while, until they turned onto a much more rural road. The two of them were used to winding mountain roads, so it wasn’t much trouble to navigate. Flower Kid was just excited, and Kamal was incredibly nervous. They both felt like throwing up, but for very different reasons. 

When Kamal pulled into the parking lot, Flower Kid tried to hop out immediately, but found the door was still locked. They turned to their dad with an inquisitive look. “Okay… this is really dumb, but…” Kamal sighed, and pulled something out of his pocket. “I’m really gonna miss you, Kid. And I know you’re gonna miss me too, even if you try to pretend you don’t.” They both chuckled, before Kamal held out his hand. A small gold locket was sitting in his palm, and Flower Kid gasped. “You don’t have to wear it. I just want you to have it.”

Flower Kid carefully took the locket and opened it. Inside was a picture of the two of them, grinning and holding up peace signs. They clicked it shut, and reached over (as best as they could) to hug Kamal. “Thanks, Dad,” they mumbled. “I love it.”

“I’m glad,” Kamal said quietly. “Now! Let's go meet some counselors, yeah?” Flower Kid beamed and hopped out of the car, Kamal close behind.

Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t this. This place just looked like a normal summer camp! You’d barely know it was a government training facility! It was definitely different than the old Psychonaut’s summer program. There were a few other parents milling around the parking lot as kids rushed around. Flower Kid suddenly clung to his pant leg, and he ruffled their hair. They weren’t always great with kids their age.

A voice suddenly came from the large speakers on a pole a little further into the camp. “Campers, please report to the Main Lodge! Parents, you’re free to go.”

“Was that Agent Cruller…?” Kamal mumbled. Flower Kid gave him an odd look, but he waved them off.

The two of them watched as the kids all raced off towards the large building, and most of the parents got into their cars. A few kids came to hug their parents goodbye, but most parents seemed to just leave. It rubbed Kamal the wrong way, and, judging by how they gripped his pants even tighter, it rubbed Flower Kid the wrong way too.

“C’mon, Kid,” Kamal said, “we’re going to go together. I don’t care what they say, I need to talk to somebody.” Flower Kid nodded, and took his hand.

All the kids stared at the two of them as they made their way to the Main Lodge. Flower Kid gripped Kamal’s hand tightly, and he squeezed back. A few kids were outright glaring, but most of them just seemed curious. Kamal opened the doors to the lodge and looked around. It seemed… pretty standard. Lines of tables, a small stage, an area that seemed to purpose as both a kitchen and a camp store. Kids filed by him and began to sit at the tables. Kamal’s eye settled on…

“Oh god,” he mumbled.

Sasha Nein was staring directly at him.

Well, he assumed he was. It was hard to tell behind those sunglasses. He was facing Kamal head on, and Kamal had every reason to believe he was being stared at. He took a deep breath and turned to Flower Kid.

“Go sit with the others, Kid,” he said. “I’ve got to go talk to Agent Nein.” Flower Kid glanced between Agent Nein and Kamal, before nodding and rushing over to a table. Kamal turned, ready to go over to Agent Nein and talk, but the man was already approaching him. Kamal just let the Psychonaut drag him out of the lodge.

“What are you doing here?” Agent Nein asked.

“Dropping my kid off,” Kamal replied, trying to seem calm. His heart was beating out of his chest, and he was probably sweating, but he was still trying to keep calm. “I wanted to talk some about them first though. Ask about last year.”

Agent Nein winced, but he nodded. “Tell me about your child first,” he said.

“I know what it says on their form, but their name is ‘Flower Kid’,” Kamal said. Agent Nein raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “And sometimes they go nonverbal and use sign language to communicate. I hope someone here knows it…”

“Razputin does,” Agent Nein said. “I will ask him to keep an eye on your child.”

“An eleven year old watching out for another eleven year old? Great, at least I know my kid’s in capable hands.” Kamal couldn’t help being snarky, and it seemed to take Agent Nein aback. Kamal sighed. “Okay, I get it. It doesn’t seem like a super useful skill, or sometimes people just don’t know things, but still. None of the counselors know it?”

“It is just Agent Vodello and I,” Agent Nein said. “Well, and Cruller.”

“How is the old guy?” Kamal asked, suddenly feeling a little softer. He noticed that Agent Nein seemed to soften up as well, but decided not to comment.

“He’s well,” Agent Nein said, “but he can’t leave his underground sanctuary without losing himself. I’m sure you read about that mission in the news.”

“I did…” Kamal said. “I’m just real glad you two were able to save his life. I’d rather have him around with a broken brain than not at all.”

Agent Nein nodded. “Now… you had questions about last year?”

“Oh! Right!” Kamal shook his head to try and clear himself of his thoughts of the past. “Uh… what happened to that Loboto guy? Is he locked up somewhere?”

“He is currently detained at the Mother Lobe. He’s receiving therapy,” Agent Nein said.

Kamal nodded. “That’s good, that’s real good,” he said. “Uh… the asylum across the lake, what happened to it?”

“It was destroyed last summer in the midst of the attack,” Agent Nein said. “The rubble has been removed and everyone evacuated.”

“Okay… and you can guarantee the safety of my kid and all the other kids here?” Kamal asked.

“I give you my word as a Psychonaut,” Agent Nein said.

“Not good enough,” Kamal said.

The two of them stared each other down for a moment, before Agent Nein sighed. “You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Yup!” Kamal said, popping the p.

Agent Nein sighed again. “I give my word as a member of the Official Club for Psychic Rejects,” he mumbled.

“There you go!” Kamal said, grinning. “Was that so hard?”

“Yes,” Agent Nein said. “I am a full grown adult, Kamal. You are too. You should have moved past silly games we played when we were eight.”

“Well… I haven’t,” Kamal said. He felt his heart sinking. “I guess… I guess missing you was pointless. If you’ve really changed so much.” He sighed. “I got what I was looking for. Thanks Sasha. Keep my kid safe.” He turned to walk towards the parking lot again, but he paused when he heard the door to the lodge opening.

“Sasha, darling, we’re waiting for you!” Milla said. “We can’t start until…” She trailed off, and Kamal began booking it for the parking lot. “Kamal! Darling, wait!”

Kamal didn’t plan on stopping, but the telekinesis grabbing onto his ankle and lifting him in the air did a great job of stopping him. He dangled helplessly in the air and thanked god that he’d tucked his shirt in so it didn’t droop. He watched, dejected, as Milla came rushing over to him.

“Hi Milla,” he said, unenthusiastic. She just stood in front of him, looking baffled. “Can… can you put me down?”

“Oh! Yes… sorry…” Milla mumbled. She carefully righted Kamal and set him on the ground again. “You… you’re really here? This isn’t my mind playing tricks?”

“Well… I was on my way out. Sasha made it pretty clear that he wasn’t in any particular rush to see me,” Kamal said.

“I never said that,” Sasha said as he approached. “I simply said that you are a full grown man and that you shouldn’t be so focused on the silly club we made when we were eight.”

“There is nothing wrong with being nostalgic, darling!” Milla said. She looked Kamal up and down. “You look good! Not particularly fashionable… but good!”

Kamal chuckled. “You clearly haven’t noticed the bags under my eyes,” he joked.

Milla leaned in closer, causing Kamal to take a step back. She suddenly looked very worried. “Oh, darling… you have not changed much, have you?”

“Uh…” Kamal swallowed. “I dunno about that… I just…” He sighed. “Look, I dropped off my kid and I got the answers to the questions I had. Can I go now?”

“Do you really not want to stay to catch up?” Milla asked.

“Don’t you guys have a welcoming ceremony to do?” Kamal asked.

“Well… yes… but…”

“Then I should go,” he said. “I’ll see you at the end of summer.” Kamal turned on his heel and marched to the parking lot. 

Stupid childhood, stupid friends, stupid club, stupid psychics, stupid summer camp, stupid everything.

“Stupid me…” Kamal mumbled as he climbed into his car. He tried not to think too hard about everything as he quickly left the parking lot.

Back in the camp, Flower Kid ran out of the Lodge. They looked back and forth between Agent Nein and Agent Vodello. They carefully approached them and asked, “did my dad leave?”

Agent Vodello gave them a small smile. “Yes, darling. But he told us to tell you he loves you very much. He just didn’t want to interrupt our little welcome ceremony!”

Flower Kid nodded. “Okay…” they mumbled. They ran their thumb over the smooth locket they were wearing. “Agent Aquato told me to come see if you guys were ready?”

“I believe we are!” Agent Vodello said. 

“Yes, I think everything is in order,” Agent Nein said.

Flower Kid nodded, but they didn’t miss the way that the two Psychonauts were looking at each other. They didn’t miss the way that Agent Vodello was quiet for the rest of the evening, or the comforting hand that Agent Nein had put on her shoulder. 

It looked like they had a few new people to help this summer.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had,,,,,the biggest lapse in how timeline works, and I sort of ended up with Kamal's mom flying him, at 13, to Brazil just to see his two best friend. ...This story is about psychic people, one of which is green, so I can do what I want. Anyways, enjoy!

_Summer, 1967_

“Hi! My name is Milla! It’s nice to meet you!”

Kamal jumped and spun around quickly to face the girl who had come up to him and offered her hand to shake. She was giving him a huge grin. Her hair was pulled into two high ponytails, and her bell bottom jeans were the kind that came up over her shoulders. Suspenders, his mom called them. She still held her hand out, so Kamal carefully took it to shake it.

“H-hi,” he mumbled, “my name’s Kamal.” 

The girl grinned even more and shook his hand in an exaggerated manner. “I like your hair!” She said.

Kamal twirled a strand of his hair around his finger. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Are you in the beginners’ class?” The girl asked. Kamal nodded. “Great! So am I! We can be friends!”

Kamal smiled. “Okay,” he said, a little louder than before. “You said… you said your name is Milla, right?” Milla grinned and nodded. “I like it! And I like your outfit! It’s really pretty!”

Milla blushed and giggled. “You’re a charmer!” She said. Kamal giggled as well. “C’mon! You can come meet my other friend! He’s really cool!”

Milla took Kamal’s hand and led him through the doors of the large training facility. He took a look around as she led him through the hallways. Everything was gray and standard. He couldn’t think of any other word for it. It all looked like oatmeal, and Kamal hated oatmeal. Still, his new friend was bright and colorful, and she seemed fun. She opened the big double doors to the mess hall, and made a beeline for a table that only had one other boy sitting at it.

“Sasha!” She called, waving excitedly. “I made a new friend!”

The boy looked up from the thick book he was reading. He didn’t smile, and it made Kamal’s stomach turn. “Hallo,” he said, his voice thick with a German accent.

“Hi…” Kamal whispered.

Milla sat beside the boy, and pat the seat next to her. “I promise Sasha is really nice! He’s just kind of… eccentric!”

“That’s what my mom calls me!” Kamal said. He decided to sit across from the other two psicadets instead of next to Milla. She looked sad for a moment, before her usual smile was back. “Um… is Sasha a beginner too?”

“Nein,” Sasha said. “I am an intermediate.”

“I didn’t know that!” Milla said loudly. “Congrat Sasha!”

Sasha smiled, just slightly. “Danke,” he said quietly. 

“How old are you guys?” Kamal asked.

“I’m eight and Sasha is nine!” Milla said. Sasha nodded. “What about you?”

“I’m eight too,” Kamal said. He looked around the mess hall. There were a couple of large groups at tables, but it was mostly small groups. There were two girls off in the corner, and they were staring at the three of them. When they noticed Kamal looking, they burst into giggles. Kamal groaned and put his forehead against the table.

“What? What is it?” Milla asked.

“Those girls over there are making fun of me,” he whined.

Milla turned to look and her smile faltered for a moment. “Well… maybe not! You are a charmer, Kamal! Maybe you’re just popular with women!” She said. 

Kamal looked up at her and Sasha. Sasha seemed to be used to Milla’s optimism, but he didn’t seem to hold it himself. He glanced quickly at the two girls, before turning back to Kamal. He shook his head sadly and shut his book. “I am sorry, Kamal,” he said. “It would appear they are making fun of you.”

“They’re getting up,” Milla said, much quieter than before.

It was true. The two girls were getting up and making their way over to the three of them. They all looked at the center of the table, and didn’t speak as the girls approached. One of the girls slid into the seat next to Kamal, and the other sat next to Sasha.

“Welcome to the facility,” the girl next to Kamal said. She gave him a cheery smile. “My name is Susan.”

“I’m Donna,” the girl next to Sasha said.

“I’m Milla!” Milla held her hand out again, but the two girls just glanced at each other and giggled. Milla blushed and put her hand at her side again.

“That was rude,” Sasha said, bluntly. 

“We just wanted to let you know that there’s lots of folks around here who don’t play nice,” Donna said, ignoring him. “And you little nerds are going to be the first targets unless you rub elbows with the right people.”

“That would be us!” Susan said. “So… what do you guys say? You want to sit with us? We’ll make sure no one beats you up!”

“Yeah, but you’ll probably be really mean,” Kamal said. He took a deep breath. “We don’t want to sit with you. Leave us alone.”

“Oooh, look at Mister Confident here!” Susan teased. “You’re sweating, little boy.” Her words held a lot of truth. Kamal was sweating, and he was much smaller than both girls. “You’re just a no good nerd, aren’t you?”

“I-I’m not!” Kamal protested.

“Yes you are!” Donna shrieked. Susan quickly shoved Kamal out of his seat and onto the floor.

“Stop it!” Milla yelled. The two bullies cackled, and Donna tried to push Sasha to get to Milla.

He didn’t budge.

Instead, he stood. He held up his hand, making a finger gun at the two of them. “I will psi blast you,” he said.

The two girls looked nervous. “Nobody's allowed to use psi blast outside of Agent Cruller’s head!” Donna said.

“I have special permission,” Sasha said. “You both know that he’s rather fond of me.” Sasha took aim for Susan’s head. “Are you really going to test me?”

Susan grabbed Donna’s hand and scoffed at the three kids. “You can’t protect your wimpy friends forever, Nein!” She said. “C’mon Donna, lets go. Nobody wants to hang around a bunch of psychic rejects!” She dragged Donna back to their table. 

Milla had rushed around the table to help Kamal up. He was wiping at his eyes with his sleeve and sniffling quietly. “Thank you, Sasha,” he said quietly. 

“It was no problem,” Sasha said. “I don’t like bullies.”

“I’m sorry, Kamal,” Milla said. She carefully took his hand and squeezed it. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with bullies by being your friend.”

Kamal gave her a small smile. “It’s okay Milla,” he said, and squeezed her hand back, “I think it will definitely be worth it.”

* * *

_Summer, 1969_

“Milla?” Kamal called. “Milla, where are you?”

Sasha was right on Kamal’s tail as the two of them wandered through the hallways of the facility. Everything was still gray and standard, so the two of them shouldn’t have so much trouble finding the most colorful student in the whole facility. 

Milla had run off crying after a particularly bad run in with Susan and Donna. The two girls had been the bane of the three friends’ existence for the past two years. Merciless teasing, physical and psychic violence, all sorts of small things that led to torment without being noticed by the higher ups. Or went ignored. Kamal wasn’t sure which was worse.

“Milla?” Sasha called, walking ahead of Kamal a bit. “If you’re invisible, please come out! We just want to help you!” 

“What’re you two yelling about?”

Kamal jumped and turned to look down the hallway in the direction they had come from. Ford Cruller, their lead teacher and head of the program was standing there, looking them both up and down.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Sasha said. Agent Cruller had a soft spot for him. Kamal didn’t know the agent at all. He only taught advanced classes, and Kamal was still an intermediate. “We’re looking for Milla Vodello. She… she ran off unexpectedly.”

“It was those girls, wasn’t it?” Agent Cruller asked. Sasha hesitated, before nodding. “They’ve gone unchecked long enough… I’ll talk to them. In the meantime… maybe you’re looking a little too low?” He winked at the two of them, before turning around. Kamal expected that to be the end of it, but he stopped after a few steps. “Oh, and Mr. Bora?” Kamal squeaked instead of answering. “Your work with shields is incredibly impressive. Keep up the hard work, and you can catch up with your friends by next year.”

“Th-thank you, sir!” Kamal stuttered. He heard Agent Cruller chuckle, before he walked away. Kamal and Sasha stared at each other for a moment. “What did he mean? Looking too low?”

“Milla has recently become fond of levitation,” Sasha explained. Both of Kamal’s friends were in advanced classes together, since Milla had surpassed him last year. “She’s very good at it too. She might have used it to get somewhere that no one could bother her. But… where could possibly be high enough?”

“The gym!” Kamal yelped. “You can see the rafters! She might be up there!”

Sasha smiled at him. “Excellent thinking,” he said, and Kamal beamed.

The two boys rushed to the gym and looked up. Sure enough, Milla was sitting on one of the rafters, crying pretty hard. The boys glanced at each other, before Sasha took a running start and leapt for the rafters. Kamal took a deep breath, and did the same. He came up short, but both of his friends caught him with telekinesis and hoisted him up onto the rafters. The boys sat on opposite sides of Milla as she sobbed.

“They’re just a couple of bullies, Milla,” Sasha said. “That’s what you always tell us.”

“I know that!” Milla shouted. “But they said horrible things! And… and there’s only so much a girl can take!” She sobbed loudly into her hands.

Kamal did the only thing he could think to do. He wrapped his arms around her and put up a shield. It was big enough to cover all three of them. He really was skilled with them. “It’s okay, Milla,” he said. “They’re just a couple of jealous girls who are never going to become Psychonauts. They’re still in intermediate classes even though it’s been two years. You’re already advanced! They’re just jealous that you’re going to be a Psychonaut, while they’re left in the dust.”

“I recently received permission to psi blast outside of Agent Cruller’s mind,” Sasha said. “I really could shoot them, if you’d like.”

That made Milla giggle. “No, you’ll just get in trouble,” she said. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Thank you both. You’re my best friends.” She suddenly gasped and lit up. “We should form a club!” She said.

“You want to make new friends?” Kamal asked.

“Well… I wouldn’t be against it, but I just meant the three of us,” Milla explained. “We need a good name for our club…”

“I would say something about being advanced, but poor Kamal is still intermediate,” Sasha said. He said it flatley, but the other two children knew him well enough to know that he was just teasing.

“Maybe… Psychonauts Junior?” Milla suggested, before giggling. “That just sounds silly.”

“The Official Club of Psychic Rejects,” Kamal said. Milla and Sasha turned to him, confused. “Um… it’s what Susan and Donna called us when we first met. And… and, I dunno. I don’t mind being a reject, if it’s with you guys.” 

MIlla grinned. “I love it!” She said. She hugged Kamal tightly. “You’re so smart!”

“I like it as well,” Sasha said. “I think we make an excellent team of misfits. And I do like being official…”

“Then it’s settled!” Kamal said. “We’re our own club!”

* * *

_Spring Break 1972_

“Milla!” Kamal yelled as he hopped out of his mom’s car.

His best friend jumped up from where she was sitting on her porch and scrambled down the front steps of her house. The two of them laughed as they collided in a hug. Milla nearly knocked Kamal to the ground, but he managed to hold the two of them up. Milla picked him up a moment later, using telekinesis to help her. Kamal laughed as she twirled him around. 

Eventually, she put him down. After he wasn’t dizzy anymore, he saw his mom smiling at him from beside her car, and Sasha waving at him from the porch. He raced up the porch steps and tackled Sasha as well. Sasha shouted indignantly, but he chuckled quietly after he’d been knocked to the ground. “It’s good to see you too, Kamal,” he said.

“Kamal! Don’t tackle your friends!” Kamal’s mother called. Kamal looked up to find her introducing herself to Milla. He hopped up and offered a hand to Sasha. Sasha took it and stood as well.

“I can’t believe you talked your dad into letting you stay with Milla for the whole break!” Kamal said.

Sasha hummed quietly. “I cannot believe you did the same with your mother,” he said.

Kamal scoffed. “My mom was over the moon that I made some friends! She’d let me do just about anything to see them.”

“Including flying you from New York City to Brazil?” Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Apparently!” Kamal said. He turned and watched as his mom and Milla came up the stairs. “Are you gonna go say hi to Mr. Vodello?” He asked his mom.

“That’s the plan!” She replied. “Why don’t you three run along and do something fun? I’ll be sure to say goodbye before I go.” She kissed Kamal’s cheek, making Milla giggle.

“Mom!” Kamal whined. She chuckled as he shoved at her gently. “Okay! We’ll go do something!”

“Come on, Kamal!” Milla said, taking his hand. “I have a treehouse in the backyard!”

Kamal lit up as Milla led him around to the back of the house. Living in the city, he never really got to see a treehouse, much less be in one. He grinned when he saw it, and made a beeline for the rope ladder. Milla and Sasha were hot on his heels, and the three of them climbed up together. Kamal stood in the center of the floor and just looked around.

“There’s a secret exit over there,” Milla said, gesturing to the back left corner, “and a pulley system with a bucket attached over here, so we can pass things up and down,” she gestured to the front right corner, “and a couple chairs! Although someone will have to take the floor…”

“I don’t mind!” Kamal said, already sitting on the floor. He felt the sap that was stuck there grow tacky on his jeans, but he didn’t mind. “This place is so cool, Milla!”

“Thank you!” Milla replied. She sat in one of the chairs and looked between her two friends. “So! What do you two want to do for the break?”

“I certainly want to get a look at the local flora and fauna,” Sasha said. “Traveling always gives way to new scientific discoveries.”

“I agree!” Kamal said. “I wanna check everything out!”

Milla chuckled. “I’d be happy to show you around! But… let’s spend the first few days with just us, yes?”

Kamal and Sasha glanced at each other. “Uh… yeah! Sure!” Kamal said. Milla grinned at him, but something in his stomach twisted.

They spent the rest of the day running around in the backyard, but Kamal couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Milla was her usual smiling self, but she seemed a little more closed off. Sasha was even more silent than usual, and he didn’t seem as keen to entertain Kamal and Milla’s ideas. They sat down to a wonderful dinner that evening, but no one said a word the whole time. Kamal thought it might have been because they felt awkward with Milla’s dad there, but it prolonged to that night too. The three of them were setting up in a tent in the backyard, completely silent. 

Finally, Milla said something.

“Kamal?” She whispered, just before turning the lights off.

“Yeah?” He replied, just as quiet.

“You know we love you, don’t you?” She said, hesitantly.

“I… yeah, I know,” Kamal said. His heart was beating out of his chest. Were his friends about to confess to him? Together? “I love you guys too.”

“We miss you when you aren’t around,” Milla continued. “And… and we’re always so happy to see you again.”

“What’re you getting at?” Kamal asked.

Milla was silent and unmoving for a moment. “Nothing,” she finally said. “Nevermind.”

“But-” Kamal didn’t get a chance to say anything before she turned the light off. 

The rest of the week passed in a similar awkward fashion, before he flew back home.

* * *

_Summer of 1972_

Kamal was truly baffled. 

He’d looked around the whole facility for his friends. The mess hall, the gym, the boy’s dorms, he’d even peeked inside the girl’s dorms. They weren’t anywhere to be found. Milla’s bright clothes weren’t flashing in his vision, Sasha’s accented voice wasn’t reading him a passage from a book, or explaining some scientific breakthrough he’d had that school year, his friends weren’t anywhere!

“Ah, Mr. Bora.”

Kamal jumped and turned around quickly, and almost ran into Agent Cruller. “Sir!” Kamal yelped. “W-what’re you doing?” 

It was an understandable question. Agent Cruller looked like he was packed to leave. 

“I’m heading for the jet, of course!” He said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “You’re not really supposed to know, but I’m sure your little friends told you.”

“Told me what?” Kamal asked. 

Agent Cruller suddenly looked sad. “That’d explain why Milla was crying,” he mumbled.

“Milla’s crying?” Kamal asked. “Where is she?”

“I’m afraid that’s classified,” Agent Cruller said. 

“What?!?” Kamal squawked. “Where are my friends? What’s going on?”

Agent Cruller sighed. “Okay, you’re not supposed to know this, but… your friends aren’t staying here this summer. They’re going to the Mother Lobe. They’ve been deemed advanced enough to move on to more rigorous training. They’re really on their way to becoming Psychonauts. They’ll be training year round from here on out. But, don’t worry, son! You’re real talented, I’m sure you can catch up in-”

Kamal didn’t hear the rest. He turned and ran.

He considered searching for the jet, trying to find his friends to demand an answer, but if they hadn’t told him about this at spring break, they wouldn’t have an answer now. Besides, they were abandoning him! Why should he even worry about them anymore? He tearfully repacked what little he’d taken out of his suitcase, and demanded to be taken home.

And he never went back.

Who needs Psychonauts anyways?


End file.
